


Peace, At Last

by Merfilly



Series: Rise Up, Rebels [21]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Coda, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-01
Updated: 2016-05-01
Packaged: 2018-06-05 15:38:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6711007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merfilly/pseuds/Merfilly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As the galaxy begins its new path, our heroes (and their redeemed Fallen one), begin their own lives anew.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Peace, At Last

Obi-Wan Kenobi knew where his duty called. It was his duty to restart the Order. He knew it as plain as he knew his name.

He couldn't bring himself to actually set foot on that path. He was tired, had outlived nearly all of his friends, seen his life crumble and fall. How many times could he bring himself to follow duty when it gave him nothing in turn?

No, he did not want that path. He looked down from the balcony of Padmé's retreat, watching as Anakin and Padmé sat together, incapable of truly touching, yet wound up in each other at peace, watching the sun set over the lake. The winding down of the day had not interrupted training though, as he turned his eyes to where Ahsoka was teaching the twins to use their lightsabers against her.

Would Ahsoka lead a new path, with these two as her first students? Were there other Jedi out there able to take up that call? Was it truly a Jedi Order that needed to exist, or was it something new? He watched Ahsoka, her forms so different from tradition, yet so very effective. Perhaps the future had yet to decree its true need to her. The Togruta was brimming with potential, and it had been such a mistake for the Council to betray her. 

What then, he thought, was there for him? He was only … forty-three? He thought that was right. He knew he felt twice that old though. Maybe, just maybe, he'd wait and see what the galaxy offered him. For now, he acceded to the demand of his friends to stay with them. There was peace here, for the first time for Obi-Wan in so long. Yes, he would rest, and decide later.

++++

Ahsoka finally ended the sparring session in laughter, putting aside both of her lightsabers and dropping to her knees. That was signal enough for Luke and Leia to put away their blades, coming to throw their small arms around her neck. She held them close, breathing their scents, letting their joy in learning wash away all the bad memories she had built up in recent years. At twenty-two years old, she had seen more death and violence than she could set aside. It was why she taught them now, trained them even as the galaxy heaved slowly toward a peace that might last.

They would be able to use all of their abilities, in defense or aggression, as needed. But she placed few restrictions on them as to what they chose to learn, preferring to impress upon them a sense of understanding what 'harm' was, as opposed to the narrow view of right and wrong the Jedi Order had taught her. She strongly suspected Luke was likely to follow in his mother's footsteps some day and use politics to his advantage, but Leia… Leia was always reaching for all of her tools. Words, blows, logic… that was Leia. She tackled all of the problems presented in her training with vigor and a shade of Anakin's fierceness.

That suited Ahsoka, as she continued her own training the best she could. At some point, she needed to go back to Dathomir. Asajj had more to teach her, and Ahsoka felt more than centered enough to resist the full weight of the Sith ways now. But it could wait for Anakin and Padmé to be more stable with one another.

++++

At twenty-seven years old, Anakin Skywalker, once the scourge of the very galaxy he'd been the savior of, only wanted his family now. He had accepted being exiled with grace; being told he would be allowed to settle on Naboo had shocked him. It also relieved him. He had not wanted for Padmé to be taken away from her home and family and people, yet he knew she was not going to leave him alone to his punishment.

He held her close to his life-support suit, still a little angry that he could not actually touch her, feel her, smell her… but he was right there with her. She didn't mind when he used the Force to caress her, or to slide inside her thoughts so it was more immediate for him. There was even talk of allowing more surgeries, of maybe, someday, having some freedom from the suit.

Right now, with her in his arms, he felt like he could wait forever, so long as she was right there with him.

++++

In thirty-two years of life, Padmé Naberrie had been queen, senator, wife, mother, and rebel. She had been prepared to go into exile, no matter where it took them, but she had asked her people for one last boon.

Surprisingly, the good that Anakin had done in his life outweighed the evil, at least when weighted by their love for her. And so they had a home, peace, and security right in the heart of her homeworld. She had resigned, officially, all duties that she had abandoned when she rebelled. They had offered her a place on the governing council anyway.

A compromise of being on call for advice to the government and a promise to handle special ambassadorships on a case by case basis had been made, and now Padmé could breathe and find out what it was to be in the heart of her special little family.

There were so many little details out there. Captain Rex was bravely venturing forth as a spokesman for the clones, and Naboo had opened her arms to those that came for aid, succor, or merely forgetting. Padmé was so proud of her people, and of Alderaan, who was running another center for them. The new government was still settling to its roles, but she would not have a hand in that. None of her co-conspirators begrudged her the retirement she had chosen, so she could actually just watch from afar now.

With a small sigh as the sun dipped below the horizon, she turned her face and pressed a kiss to Anakin's face mask, hand lacing in his armored one. The barriers were nothing to her; he was as firmly real in her heart as ever, and that was all she truly cared about. Never again would they let secrets tear them apart, as they made this new life for themselves.

She looked up, seeing Obi-Wan turn from the balcony, and smiled softly. Anakin followed her gaze, and she felt him quietly affirm her wishes. The elder Jedi was not going to be allowed to leave them either. What they all shared was complex and multi-layered, but it was real and solid. Just as Ahsoka would always be welcome in their home, so Obi-Wan belonged with them.

It was family, and it was theirs.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you, everyone, who read, who commented, who gave this series a kudos. I am very grateful.


End file.
